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January 16, 2014

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Jeff Dobbs

Stay firsty, my friends.

FTA:
But they said his views have been shaped to a striking degree by the reality of waking up every day in the White House responsible for heading off the myriad threats he finds in his daily intelligence briefings.

Give him a quiz on what's in those briefings. I don't think he would pass.

narciso

well that's interesting;


http://beldar.blogs.com/beldarblog/2013/09/in-2011-obama-freed-nsa-from-restraints-on-domestic-spying-that-dubya-requested-in-2008.html


MarkO

Obama is a phony.

MarkO

Look, Obama plans to use that data to a political advantage. Politics is his true north.

Ignatz

--More than six years later, the onetime constitutional lawyer is now the commander in chief presiding over a surveillance state that some of his own advisers think has once again gotten out of control.--

Notice the subtle (or not so subtle) bias;
"...once again gotten out of control" as though he heroically reined it and then when he turned his back to shore up some other failing part of the republic, 'out of control' ensued.

steve

Yes, Obama was/is all of the above. Yes, the media gave him a free ride on this. But it really didn't make a difference in either 2008 or 2012. Very, very, very few people cast their votes on this particular issue.

Jeff Dobbs

privately excoriating Mr. Snowden as a self-important narcissist who had not thought through the consequences of his actions.

Everyone will readily pick up on the narcissist comment, but "had not thought through the consequences of his actions" deserves attention too.

Like, oh, I don't know, "turns out shovel-ready jobs aren't so shovel-ready" as a starting point.

Maybe throw in the "nuh uh, no way, I did not draw a red line" for good measure.

And the always popluar "if you like your plan, you can keep your plan, period" lie of the year.

But of course the meat on the bone here is the rest of the article regarding candidate Obama trashing Bush and president Obama not trashing a single policy of the Bush security apparatus.

Well, as MarkO just told us politics is his true north, and each of the above was done/said for political advantage, so it worked.

But then again, Snowden wanted to become an international hero and take the US down a peg and that worked too.

Heh, Val Jarrett doesn't.

Years ago I went over this conundrum with a reasonable leftist on another blog. It came down to trusting the President. Well, who trusts Obama?

MarkO

Has any other president obtained office through as many blatant fraudulent activities and statements as Obama?

His lies go far beyond the usual hyperbole of even the foulest politician. Add to that the IRS voter suppression and we find a corruption never before seen.

NK(withnewsoftware)

The NYT Headline calls Obama an "Overseer"... too funny.

Did they have any quotes of Obama asking "Massa Cheney" for Intel advice?

cindyk

Just catching up - Beast Thoughts:

Wow, oh wow! I am constantly in awe of the connections I have made with my heart via a "chat site". Beasts is a delight – his sense of humor has always brightened a difficult day. I too am a very private person, so I appreciate his wish to remain anonymous. The past year has been the most difficult of my 55 years - physically, financially, and emotionally. Checking in with the "characters" at JOM has and always will be a Godsend. Their insight, humor, sarcasm, and wisdom leaves me with a sense of "hey, there is someone out there that thinks like me!"

I will pray for Paul. However, I would encourage him to "check-in" occasionally (even just to lurk), to let him know that each time he reads a comment from a JOMer, a prayer is being said for him.

Old Lurker

See, even the word "Overseer" is wrong, but it is at the root of all the incompetence we see.

"Oversee" is definition familiar in Board Rooms which is often at the root of dysfunctional organizations.

A Board guides policy and oversees.

A CEO Implements.

Obama has been confused about that from the start.

Did I say "dysfunction"?

Old Lurker

Cindy, I will drink tonight to your having a better 2014!

cindyk

Old Lurker: Many thanks - but drink two (just in case). Smile - your the best!

matt

"Trust me" by the President Coverup.

Jeff Dobbs

NK:
The NYT Headline calls Obama an "Overseer"... too funny.

The NSA is out of control? Oops, oversight.

Wait. We're not closing Gitmo? Oops, oversight.

Did I *really* say no lobbyists in my administration? Oops, oversight.

Sooooo, handing out guns to Mexican drug gangs and not even trying to track them might not be the best idea? Oops, oversight.

You mean 9/11 might be a good time to beef up security at a diplomatic post in the middle east? Oops, oversight.

The IRS targeted conservative groups? Oops, oversight.

You're telling me a boatload of Americans won't be able to keep their health plan? Oops, oversight.

Healthcare.gov doesn't work? Oops, oversight.

matt

Speaking of which, do we have a track record of how many Gitmo detainees have been released and how many have gone back to their evil ways? Do we have a record of which president should be held accountable?

narciso

Well, funny you ask that, matt;


http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/06/us-usa-guantanamo-recidivism-idUSTRE82501120120306

lyle

Those freed gitmo detainees are part of Bozo's jobs pivot, Matt. They're free to update their terrorist resumes and enter into jihadi skills retraining.

narciso

those words you are using;


http://nationalinterest.org/blog/paul-pillar/the-highly-competent-nsa-9707


James D.

Rich, Janet - if you guys meet for coffee, I might be able to join you (depends on the time & if any last-minute meetings for work crop up)

Captain Hate

After four years as President the MFM still portrays Gaylord Focker as an outsider who isn't responsible for anything.

Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself

from the Cock-taw nation genius ...

Video: Obama Calls The Dominican Republic “The Dominican Republican”…
http://weaselzippers.us/video-obama-calls-the-dominican-republic-the-dominican-republican/

Danube on iPad

It's five, CH.

I'd feel better about the NSA if they could at least shut down Rachel from Card Services.

Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself

James D. - I left it for Rich to call me when you guys decided. I'm the most flexible & can meet up at any time. Maybe Rich didn't make it into Arlington.

Cecil Turner

"Drone Assassin" actually sounds like a fun video game. I'd play!

narciso

'You must not read from the book;

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/paul-bremmer/2014/01/16/pbs-s-woodruff-lectures-gates-asks-him-if-he-s-worried-about-hurting-t

NK(withnewsoftware)

Is Woodruff still married to that corpse Al Hunt? BTW Judy is heading into dog track territory herself, isn't she?

DebinNC

Politico on 12-29-13:

"If Democrats get their way, the next phase of the Obamacare wars will see something unusual: a flood of success stories. The White House, Democratic lawmakers and advocacy organizations will launch a campaign this week to highlight real-life experiences under the Affordable Care Act — tales so compelling that they help drive up enrollment, marginalize Republican repeal efforts and erase memories of this fall’s HealthCare.gov debacle."

Has there been even a trickle of success stories, compelling or otherwise? Has any news outlet noted the promised "flood" is over 2 weeks late? If a monumental BOzo WH snafu occurs and the msm refuse to report it, did it really happen?

boricuafudd

“When you get the package every morning, it puts steel in your spine,” said David Plouffe, the president’s longtime adviser.

Maybe if he attended a security briefing or two he could get a better sense on the risk. You know asking questions, and following up. Too much work for the light-worker.

narciso

seriously Bob;


http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2014/01/15/katie-couric-bob-gates-was-your-book-bad-form-will-it-tarnish-your-rep

Ignatz

--“When you get the package every morning, it puts steel in your spine,” said David Plouffe, the president’s longtime adviser.--

That's what Reggie always said to, although I'm not sure he said spine.

centralcal

Greta never holds anything back and on her blog she posts about events after the Benghazi attack where FNC was shut out from briefings, the she gets to this:

And then as I was sitting at my desk thinking about the reporting since September 2012, I thought about the weirdest of all and the worst of all for me personally! I remembered a disturbing phone call from a good friend in the Obama Administration. I have known this friend for years. The call was a short time after 9/11 (maybe Oct. 2012?) In the call, my friend told me that my colleague Jennifer Griffin, who was aggressively reporting on Benghazi, was wrong and that, as a favor to me, my friend in the Administration was telling me so that I could tell Jennifer so that she did not ruin her career. My friend was telling me to tell Jennifer to stop her reporting. Ruin her career?

In 20 plus years, I have never received a call to try and shut down a colleague – not that I even could – this was a first. Here is what I know: Jennifer is a class act….experienced..and a very responsible journalist. One of the absolute best in the business – no axe to grind, she just wants the facts.

I told my friend before I go to Jennifer telling her she is wrong, I need proof she is wrong, strong proof and you need to be specific - what are you saying she is getting wrong? We went around and around — including the statement again that this was just a call as a favor to Jennifer and me to save Jennifer’s career from reporting incorrect information. I got no proof. Zero. I smelled a rat. Favor to me? Hardly. My friend was trying to use me. I feel bad that a friend did that to me, tried to use me for a dirty reason. I knew then — and it is now confirmed by BIPARTISAN Senate Intelligence Committee — Jennifer was getting her facts right. I think it is really low for the Administration to stoop this low.

I can't help but wonder who the "good friend" in the Administration is?

jimmyk

Katie still has a job?

Too bad Gates didn't respond point-blank by asking her why she didn't ask Paul O'Neil that question 10 years ago about his book. Or Scott McClellan.

narciso
Janet - the districts lie fallow, while the Capitol gorges itself

Interesting link, cc. Thanks.

Danube on iPad

Great Scott:

"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who represents the City of San Francisco, showed reporters a bracelet she was wearing at her press briefing today to express her love of football. Then she got 49er Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana´s number wrong. 'I’ll just put my bracelet right out there,' Pelosi said, showing the charms on her arm. 'Joe Montana’s jersey number 14--well, anyway.' Montana wore number 16."

Captain Hate

Has Perky Katie's drunken grind dancing tarnished her reputation? Watch out for incoming colonoscopies.

jimmyk

Ah, so it's deja vu all over again for Katie, from narc's 5:23 link to 2004:

Couric: O'Neill Candid, But Stephanopoulos Was "Turncoat"

What a difference the target makes. Five years ago, when George Stephanopoulos wrote a book with critical insider accounts of President Clinton's White House, NBC's Katie Couric asserted the book "has many wondering whether he's a traitor or man of integrity," stressed how "a lot of people" see Stephanopoulos' book as "creepy" and she told him that they view him "as a turncoat, a Linda Tripp type." She was also upset by the timing: "Why now George? Couldn't this have waited until the President was out of office?" But this week, in introducing a segment with Paul O'Neill, Couric wasn't upset that O'Neill issued his charges in an election year as she recalled how "President Bush once praised Secretary O'Neill for his candor. He was called a straight shooter," but "today O'Neill is under investigation for a tell-all book that raises serious questions about the Bush administration."

Miss Marple

Beautiful pictures taken by a mother of her children and their animals on their farm in Russia:

http://www.boredpanda.com/animal-children-photography-elena-shumilova/

These are really beautiful. Take a look when the world seems dark. Guaranteed to remind you of the goodness and beauty around us.

jimmyk

And speaking of deja vu, and memory (from the other thread), this rings a bell, but seems to be new from a few days ago:

Rep. Barbara Lee and twelve other House Democrats issued a resolution stating that climate change can cause food and water shortages, which could lead impoverished women to turn to prostitution as a means of income.

http://www.ijreview.com/2014/01/107526-house-democrats-climate-change-turns-women-prostitutes/

Why wouldn't the resulting high food prices lead them to become farmers or ranchers?

centralcal

What a talented photographer. Thanks for sharing that, Miss Marple.

bgates

Mr. Obama was angry at the revelations, privately excoriating Mr. Snowden as a self-important narcissist who had not thought through the consequences of his actions.

He went on to describe Louis Farrakhan as a black guy from Chicago who doesn't like Jews, Craig Robinson as a basketball fan who's known Michelle Obama for a long time, and Joe Biden as an ignorant blowhard whose election to high office probably marks the death of the Republic.

Wah Wahtusi

""...once again gotten out of control" as though he heroically reined it and then when he turned his back to shore up some other failing part of the republic, 'out of control' ensued."

Nice spin away. But I think the reference is to a previous admin. You do know there was a previous admin, right?

Miss Marple

No, I can't remember when there was another administration.

Each year under Obama is like a dog year, so our suffering has gone on for eons, it seems.

Wah Wahtusi

Your short-term memory loss could be do to another problem.

Gmax

What would that be, reading your drivel?

maryrose

Greta's observation is spot- on and shows the really creepy side to this administation of thugs.I am so sorry he got re-elected by lies and cover-ups.This is despicable behavior on the scale of Clinton's abuse of women and strong-arm tactics. I am waiting for the individual testimony of those brave soldiers on site and nearby Benghazi. My hope is repubs will use that information closer to midterm and the 2016 election. Hillary must be held accoutable for once in her life. I am sorry she hitched her wagon to a womaniser. that does not give her the freedom to lie and run rampant over our freedoms and play fast and loose with the lives of brave patriots.
She has escaped justice in the past and had her brief comeuppance in the 2008 election but her behavior in front of those caskets and and her brash, uncultured statements that MM chronicled make her unfit for any office in our nation. Let her give speeches to her adoring fans. She now resembles the diva in Sunset Boulevard.

Extraneus

Nice pics, MM.

maryrose

Iggy:
When you get the package in the morning...
I knew it was you commenting and I still laughed out loud in the library. You have a great sense of humor !

Miss Marple

Heh. I note how the trolls always attempt personal attacks.

Doesn't bother me.

Oh, good, they are running the results of Obama's "necessarily bankrupt plants who use coal" plan on Appalachia.

Of course it is on Fox.

My husband and I worked in the coal industry for years. Those miners take pride in their work and generations of families have worked as miners. Its devastating to tell a guy that he cannot support his family with that type of work and tell him he must move from a town he has been in for generations or work as a Wal-Mart greeter.

But then, it's white Appalachia, so Obama doesn't care.

rich@gmu

JamesD-

working on the numbers, but I think I can afford it...ain't cheap, but I like it.

Janet-

I called this afternoon and the phone just rang and had to make it back this way. I can get together tomorrow have a few more thing to check out on that side of town.

Rope and chains, now Tootsie.

Ah, yeah, Bush, way, way back in the good ol' days.

rich@gmu

>>>Has any other president obtained office through as many blatant fraudulent activities and statements as Obama?<<<

a state won through trickery and fraud...

"Some may wonder how it can happen that Agathocles, and his like, after infinite treacheries and cruelties, should live for long secure in his country, and defend himself from external enemies, and never be conspired against by his own citizens; seeing that many others, by means of cruelty, have never been able even in peaceful times to hold the state, still less in the doubtful times of war. I believe that this follows from severities being badly or properly used. Those may be called properly used, if of evil it is lawful to speak well, that are applied at one blow and are necessary to one's security, and that are not persisted in afterwards unless they can be turned to the advantage of the subjects. The badly employed are those which, notwithstanding they may be few in the commencement, multiply with time rather than decrease. Those who practise the first system are able, by aid of God or man, to mitigate in some degree their rule, as Agathocles did. It is impossible for those who follow the other to maintain themselves.

Hence it is to be remarked that, in seizing a state, the usurper ought to examine closely into all those injuries which it is necessary for him to inflict, and to do them all at one stroke so as not to have to repeat them daily; and thus by not unsettling men he will be able to reassure them, and win them to himself by benefits. He who does otherwise, either from timidity or evil advice, is always compelled to keep the knife in his hand; neither can he rely on his subjects, nor can they attach themselves to him, owing to their continued and repeated wrongs. For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer.

And above all things, a prince ought to live amongst his people in such a way that no unexpected circumstances, whether of good or evil, shall make him change; because if the necessity for this comes in troubled times, you are too late for harsh measures; and mild ones will not help you, for they will be considered as forced from you, and no one will be under any obligation to you for them."

Machiavelli.

maryrose

MM:
So true. Manchin better wise up or he will not last very long in Congress. This war on coal must end. When we take the Senate back in 2014 I am hoping Manchin switches to Republican. I know he could get re-elected if he stopped the war on coal Obama started.

maryrose

Manchin needs to wise up on ACA pronto and put some teeth in it.

Janet

Yes, jimmyk @ 5:47! How insulting are the Dems!

We have to find some way to amplify that...

HEY!
The Dems think you are too stupid to get an ID.
They think women will become prostitutes if the weather is lousy.
The Dems think you can't get into school on your own merit.
The Dems want to tell you what to eat, drive, & say.

The Dems - busybody elites tellin' ya how to live.

Captain Hate on the iPad

Miss Marple, the JEF has done poorly in Ohio' coal counties in 2008 and 12.

Miss Marple

Captain Hate, I am not surprised.

What we need to do is get electric customers to understand why their bills are going up.

I hate those mines closing. They provided good money for many families.

Captain Hate on the iPad

I wouldn't trust Manchin as far as I could kick him; if he switched to Repub he'd just be another backstabbing RINO.

rich@gmu

Janet-

see my comment above.

Miss Marple

Captain Hate,

Switchers are sometimes trustworthy. Phil Gramm was one. So was Ronald Reagan.

Captain Hate on the iPad

Miss Marple, there was a discussion among the Horde of the banned/voluntary exiled. For whatever reason, Jane D'oh is among the missing since before Christmas and Jones of CO was banned. I really really liked Jane D"oh.

Captain Hate on the iPad

Those are two good examples, Miss Marple; I just don't trust Manchin. That's just a gut feeling which could be wrong.

Janet

Okay, Rich. I'm mostly around keeping an eye on my father-in-law, but run a few errands in the day.
We'll keep tryin'!

narciso
Miss Marple

I am sorry to hear about Jane D'Oh.

Well, either she got banned without anyone knowing or she got aggravated like Dagny and just left.

It's just such a shame this is happening. I lived under such a regime on FR and just left.

I read the site from time to time. Don't know whether I am still banned or not, since I have never attempted to reply.

I still think I was unjustifiable banned, since I made a mild-mannered protest and had never caused any trouble. So I am done.

rich@gmu

no problem. I was pooped from running around today anyway. I'll try to give you a call around 11 tomorrow-should be done with everything I need to do then. you too James if you can make it.

Extraneus

Too bad about Ashleigh Banfield. Can't remember anything she had to say, but I always liked her.

Ignatz

""...once again gotten out of control" as though he heroically reined it and then when he turned his back to shore up some other failing part of the republic, 'out of control' ensued."

--Nice spin away. But I think the reference is to a previous admin. You do know there was a previous admin, right?--

I referred to this;

More than six years later, the onetime constitutional lawyer is now the commander in chief presiding over a surveillance state that some of his own advisers think has once again gotten out of control.

Yes they referred to it being out of control under Bush. For it "once again" to be out of control means there had to be an interlude where it wasn't. Since we can be pretty sure the Times would not credit Bush with getting it under control we can only assume they meant Barry did. You do know there was no administration between W's and Barry's, right?

Capiche? It's not that complicated.

Captain Hate on the iPad

Your treatment was horribly over the top, Miss Marple, and I don't blame you one iota for steering clear of the site.

centralcal

Extraneus - the Banfield news was years ago (if you are talking about narciso's link). She currently works for CNN.

narciso

just another mischief maker;


http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/01/16/Report-Canadian-played-major-role-in-attack-on-Algerian-gas-plant/UPI-54311389911608/

centralcal

Captain - I have tried to read the comments at Ace's on many occasions. It all seems like silly snark, one-liners, vulgar asides, etc. most of the time. How on earth does anyone get banned there? Guess I didn't read enough comments to appreciate what you and MM are referring to.

narciso

Which is why I pointed to the Beldar link at the top of the thread;

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/16/irans-top-nuclear-negotiator-we-can-resume-enrichm/?utm_source=RSS_Feed&utm_medium=RSS

Extraneus

She currently works for CNN.

Well that explains why I wouldn't know. (Not that I would anyway.)

Miss Marple

centralcal,

I objected to Ace's posting a non-news thread (pretty vulgar, too) when there was breaking news.

My entire comment was something like, "Really? This is happening and you want to talk about this? I will be back later."

I didn't even know I was banned as I didn't come back until the next day and my posts disappeared. Then I found that I had been publicly attacked.

So, I never went back. It was an irrational response and for whatever reason, he doesn't like me.

So that's the entire story.

Abadman

"Capiche? It's not that complicated."

If it only had a living brain.

only useful when we want war

One would think the pass one assigns GWB on 4th amendment issues would be a seamless no-brainer, and even less complicated than your efforts to camouflage the easy transition. Making the cognitive dissonance clear just requires some honesty, that's all.

bgates

Switchers are sometimes trustworthy. Phil Gramm was one. So was Ronald Reagan.

Gramm switched, but resigned from the House when he did so and faced the voters in a special election (which he won).

Reagan switched about five years before he was elected governor, which is not at all the same thing as what you say you want Manchin to do.

And why do you want Manchin to switch, and have a long career in the Senate? Can West Virginia not produce anyone better than a man who lied about being a conservative sort of Democrat, and who you now hope will lie to you again by changing party affiliation?

Miss Marple

bgates,

I never said I wanted him to switch. That was someone else.

I just said that sometimes switchers are trustworthy and gave 2 examples.

If Manchin is a weasel, I don't want him.

centralcal

Good grief, that doesn't seem like much to get banned over. Captain Hate has shared some of Ace's comment dramas with us over the years, so I thought one had to really do something very over the top, like personally insult him! Silly me.

only useful when we want war

I can't help but notice the ear lobes on Rubio and the urban legends about longevity.

It's sad that only the good die young. This chronically craven fool will be with us for many years.

Danube on iPad

Forget it, Jake. It's Dana.

narciso

Yes, I figured as much, of course we remember where they stood back in the day;

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2007/08/air-raiding-vil/

Captain Hate on the iPad

cc, in ace's defense he runs off trolls or edits them to make them appear even more absurd than their regular dumbassery; unlike another blog owner. The downside of that is he can get pissy at relatively innocuous comments such as Miss Marple's; and does that to a very high number of female commenters (he's very sensitive when that gets pointed out; Jane has noticed something similar too). I've learned to ignore him when he wades into the comment section with a chip on his shoulder; not unlike how I reacted to a certain pudgy bike-riding guitar strummer who lost what little mind he had. And by "ignore" I mean stop commenting and go do something else.

Despite all those abundant caveats, I still enjoy the site as a place I can cut loose.

Extraneus

Russell Johnson, who played The Professor on 'Gilligan's Island,' dies at age 89

Damn. We watch that show every night before bed, in between catheter commercials.

Just sit right back
And you'll hear a tale
A tale of a fateful trip,
That started from this tropic port,
Aboard this tiny ship.

RIP Professor!

centralcal

Yes, his comment threads do seem like a place where one can "cut loose." I find some of them quite funny and clever. I just don't read there enough to get a sense of any real dialog flow of substance between commenters. That is not a criticism, just an explanation - I don't drop in there often enough to "get" the place.

Captain Hate on the iPad

Welp Miss Marple and I met there. Some of the commenters are funny and insightful. narc posts there under another nic; so does Extraneous I think.

boricuafudd

The Dems think you are too stupid to get an ID.
For far too many this is true.

They think women will become prostitutes if the weather is lousy.
The weather is a good excuse as any.

The Dems think you can't get into school on your own merit.
Affirmative action, social promotion, need I go on.

The Dems want to tell you what to eat, drive, & say.
If they don't then who will?

The Dems - busybody elites tellin' ya how to live.
That is exactly what the sheeple want, the smart ones to tell how to live.

Janet

between catheter commercials.

Hah! or Geritol. My wife, I think I'll keep her.

Extraneus

so does Extraneous I think.

Nope.

Marlene

Did everyone go to bed early last night or was there a problem with posting? Inquiring minds.

narciso

the latter, Marlene, this Bennett fellow seems to catching some flack,

Captain Hate

so does Extraneous I think.

Nope.

Sorry. Maybe it's Neo; somebody posts things there as "Islamic Rage Boy" which are identical to posts here.

Danube on iPad

Good morning.

Annetta

Amazing blog! Is your theme custom made or did you download
it from somewhere? A theme like yours with a few simple tweeks would really make my blog shine.
Please let me know where you got your theme. Cheers

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Wilson/Plame